I couldn't open my eyes before coughing my lungs out although I was hearing Charles calling my name from afar. The smoke I've inhaled earlier is now burning my throat on its way out.

But when I finally find the strength to roll on my back and open my eyes I see Charles hovering above me, moving his lips and telling me something but I still hear him if he's far away.

"Raffa, we need to leave. Do you hear me?" he asks with confusion in his eyes but not giving up on me.

"Can you hear me, Don Raffa?" he keeps saying, and happily each letter becomes clearer and clearer and I'm grateful I didn't lose my hearing.

"Yeah, I hear you, I hear you, Charles," I reply and grab the helpful hand he offered as a support to stand up but when I pull and stand it feels like my left shoulder is smashed and the pain almost muted the life in me.

"Cazzo! Cazzo di puttana!" I yell the pain out and make a few steps as if the fucking few steps will heal me. (Fuck! Fucking bitch!)

"Any bullet wounds?" Charles is asking, walking around me in search of it.

"No... no fucking bullet... fuck this shit..." I curse and try to understand what's wrong with my shoulder but Charles is faster and gives the verdict.

"The shoulder is dislocated," he says.

"The fuck it is!" I shout denying the obvious because I can't move the shit out of it. "Where Mia?" I ask.

"The kid announced earlier on the radio station that he arrived at your mansion together with Mia but..."

"But what?!" I encourage Charles to talk lowering my head so I can see his eyes which he avoids showing. "But what, Charles?!"

"Benito is not here."

"What do you mean he is not here?"

When I woke up you were both unconscious on the ground and I knew I could not take you both alone, so I stood up and searched for my radio station but when I came back... he was..."

"Gone! Like dead gone?" I asked frowning and struggling between my revenge and the fact that the motherfucker grew on me.

"No, he was not around anymore. I have no idea when he disappeared, I couldn't have been searching for the damn thing more than a min..."

"Fuck, he took Mia!" a crazy thought crosses my mind and I pull my phone out dialing Benito's number, just to find it switched off.

"FUCK!"

I dial Mia's, the same thing. Julian's number is on but no answer.

"Fucking shit! Cazzo di merda, figlio di puttana!" I keep cursing, completely forgetting about my shoulder, and walking around like a bull seeing red.

"Benito's men are gone as well," Charles informs and I lift my head, staring at him like a dump and wondering how the fuck could I not see it.

How stupid I was to believe that Benito was on my side! How the fuck he managed to fool me so gracefully?!

"We have to find him," I decide and collect my phone and gun from the ground, walking past Charles who looks just as damaged and filled with blood as I was but I do not have the time to care about him.

Fuck, I don't even think about my own shoulder which inertly hangs to the back and has blocked my left arm.

I can't move it, I can't even feel it.

"Raffa, we need someone to mend that shoulder. And you have burns on your back that and you're scratched all over," he insists rushing his steps to reach me as I run to the gates and the cars we left behind.

"No time for that, pal," I reply.

"You have to!" he shouts but I ignore them and approach the cars where my men are grouped, some standing, others laying on the ground but thankfully, all breathing.

"We don't have the time, Charles! Call the airport. Ask if there has been any private her taking off in the past hour! Call the port..."

"Don Raffa, wait. Wait..." he insists grabbing my arm and pulling my hurt shoulder making me roar and curse and reminding me I'm in no shape to start a manhunt right now.

I stare into his eyes for a few moments and I realize he is much clear clear-minded than I am.

The thought that I might lose Mia again, and this time for good, is slowly sinking in and wakes the beast in me that I thought I lost. Soft and fearing is not my type, giving up is something I never knew to do and still, not long ago I took the decision that Benito induced, convincing me that staying away from his daughter was the best.

How wrong I was thinking that he was on our side. For as much as I know, he could very well take Mia and the shipment and probably more businesses of mine and disappear.

Wouldn't be for the first time.

"I already called. He hasn't left the island. That's for sure," he calmly explains tapping the air with his palm and giving me time to recollect and catch my breath.

"We need to regroup and go after him," I say in a low voice trying to hide my anger and speak slowly, maybe this time Charles will get in his fucking brain that I'm in no position to wait.

"We will. We take the men, we take you to the doctor and then we make plans. We need time to recover, Don Raffa. I need to fine men and replace the ones that are injured. We will find him," he replies.

The more I stay still, the stronger I feel the pain in my shoulders and my back is like row flesh consumed in flames. I let myself fall to the back, leaning against the car behind me under the weight of having to give up my plans and go by Charles' words.

I won't perform in the state I am right now and arguing his plans no more I grab the handle and get in the car, screeching my teeth in pain as I feel each and every bone broken.

"Let's go," I order him and close the door of the back seat while I throw the suit jacket on my shoulders, leaning my head back, closing my eyes, and remembering Mia's last look she had at me, with eyes floating in tears and begging to come after her.

An entire war takes place in my mind with Benito's brains splashed on the ground while
I laugh insanely proud of my accomplishment while I strongly hold Mia by her hand, feeling complete.

On a second thought, killing her father will only bring me probably her hate but if he ever stands my way, he will also stand no chance to life.

The plans I make in mind on how to find Benito, get Mia on my side,  kill her father and take my revenge have been my partners for the entire drive to the doctor house whom I see now, as we access the gates, standing at the front door and waiting or us to park.

"Welcome, Don Raffa," he says smiling and pleased to see me getting out of the car on my own feet. "I'm happy to see I won't have much work to do," he rushes to evaluate before I remove the suit jacket and he sees the my burned back. "Oh..." he whisper. "Well, nothing to worry about," he continues rushing to open the door for us as Charles and I enter and slowly walk to his office.

"The shoulder is just dislocated. I will have to put it back," he says after checking it out.

"Do whatever you need to do and do it fast. I don't have much time," I tell him roughly.

"I'm afraid you need more than "not much time", Don Raffa. I can clean the burns on your back, healing will take time and your shoulder needs to be wrapped and fixed..."

"You'll fix shit! Clean the fucking burns, out the shoulder back and let me leave!"

"But..." he tries to protest but that only makes me fetch the gun and stick it to his forehead.

"Do what I say and don't waste my time!"

He freezes with eyes glued to my face and raises his hands in surrender.

Since I made myself clear, now I can put the gun down while he grabs my left arm and with a swift move, he put the shouts back into its place make me groan deeply and squeeze my eyes.

"I need to wrap it..."

"No wrapping!" I hiss and he conforms, cutting the ripped shirt in my back and continuing with cleaning her the burns.

I feel nothing anymore, my mind is only caged in plans I make for my next moves.

Happily, he doesn't have much work to do and after applying medicines and bandages I stand up, taking the clean shirt Charles has prepared for me and I leave the room and the mansion without a word or a look back.

I need my den in the basement of my villa where I can hide and think, hard and intensely until I find a proper way to find Benito and Mia.

On the way home I turned the facts on all sides possible, with Charles driving in the heaviest silence I ever encountered. We both are stressed and hurt and tired and it's very obvious I need rest. I can't think of anybody else but Mia being taken by her brother while she begs me to let her stay. I don't ever dare to think what would have happened to her if she stayed. I'm almost happy Benito took her, even though now I'll have to dig the world to find her.

And I will find her, by my life, I will find her.

"We're here, Don Raffa," Charles informs me, pulling me out of my thoughts and I raise my eyes looking at he mansion, the very place that now should have been my refuge of happiness, but it will only be my grave from where I swear I'll rise once I'm strong enough to fight for her again.

"Check the men, Charles and let me know what's the situation. And don't let anybody enter the house. I'll call you," I order him, broken, defeated and hating myself for it.

I get down the car and enter the villa, sunk in a heavy silence that feels like death itself, but on my way to the living room from where I'm planning to fetch a bottle of whiskey and a cigar, I hear my name called in the nicest voice and the only one that could make me realize I'm still alive.

"Raffa!" my woman shouts cheerful running down the stairs of my house and jumping straight into my arms grabbing me by my neck with her delicate arms and by my waist with her legs. And I easily catch her with my right healthy arm, swiftly shoving my hand under her butt to sustain her weight.

Fuck, if I had only one finger unbroken I would have held her just as easily as I did with one arm.

She crashes her lips on mine, pressing a painful kiss while I force my tongue in, fighting for the sweetness of her fleshy lips.

She laughs and kisses me and laughs again, refusing to let go of my mouth and trying to talk at the same time with the kiss I never ant to end.

"Baby...Mia..." I try to speak but she's hushing me with her lips.

"Don't talk..." she speaks in my mouth. "Let me have enough, Raffa... please..." she begs and cups my face in her fine palms, staring at me and rolling her eyes in each and every inch of my face.

"What are you doing here?" I ask her with strength reloaded as if nothing ever hurt me until now.

"Papa brought me here," she leisurely replies still staring at me with a smile that makes my heart shine.

"And he left you here? Alone?" I ask being damn sure Julian must be here, somewhere.

"Take me to the window," she says  having no intention to let go of me, to my delight.

I walk across the living room to the window she pointed and as she pulls the curtains away I see two black SUVs parked to the fence.

"Papa left guards with me," she says and fuck me if I understand.

I was so fucking sure Benito was gone by now, disappeared to some fuck knows what place.

"He told me to wait. He said you would come to me and... this time I decided to trust him... and trust you. I knew you would come back," she whispers and shyly lowers her gaze as I'm fuck-stroke with the new turn life had for me.

"Come here..." I demand and lift her head with a finger under her chin and believe it or not, nothing fucking hurts anymore, not my back, not my shoulder or left arm and neither my heart.

I kiss her lips, delicately this time, grabbing them with my own and sucking, one by one, taking my sweet time tasting her.

"I missed you..." I whisper leaning my forehead on hers and taking a moment to rest.

I expected to die tonight, but if this means dying, well, I rather die a thousand times every day in her arms, sucking the scent of her deeply into my lungs and feeding myself with her kisses and touches.

"Of course you did. You said you loved me, remember?" she replies.

"I couldn't forget even if I was dead."

She giggles hugs me strong while I bury my face to her neck, breathing deeply and releasing the air together with the weight of all the pain I've had until now.

"Baby..."

"Yes love," I reply having no intention to put her down and ruin this moment which almost gave up on.

"You're hurt," she says most probably noticing the bandages in my back.

"I am, love" I reply peppering kisses on her neck, totally unbothered by her statement.

She releases my waist, untangling her legs and sliding the frame along mine till her leg reach the floor then she grabs me by my hand and smiling and staring she pulls me after her to the stairs, walking up and leading me to my bedroom.

"I can't have enough of you," I declare and walk faster to reach her and kiss her and have her in any way I fucking please, now, before tomorrow.

She raises on her toes with one hand on the back of my neck pulling down to her mouth and the other traveling south where my girth is painfully throbbing.

"Kiss me... have me... spend me like I've never been spent before..." she invites in a sensual tone that almost blasts my heart.

~~~~~
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